Safe Passage News

Our wish list

2012-01-31T09:52:00.004-05:00

Safe Passage operates on a limited budget, and donations of new and gently used items help us direct our limited resources towards our programs and services.

We accept donated items year-round at our office (43 Center Street, Northampton, M-F 9-5). Because we have very limited storage space and may not be in need of your items at certain times, we ask that you please call us in advance at (413) 586-1125 to arrange your donation.

We are almost always in need of the following items:

New twin and full sheet sets and comforters
Pillows
Bath towels and washcloths
Full-size shampoos and conditioners (no mini hotel sizes, please)
Adult and children's size toothbrushes and toothpaste
Microwave
Diapers of all sizes
High chairs
Baby gates
Mops and brooms
Area rugs
Throw pillows
Curtains
Basic dishware and silverware
Gently used frying pans, saucepans, and large pots with lids
Silverware
Exersaucers
Pack & plays
New bottles & sippy cups

Shelter and office equipment needs:

VCR/DVD player
Television
Digital camera
LCD projector
Cordless power drill
American & metric wrench sets
Rollers & paintbrushes
Rosetta Stone Spanish discs
Paper shredder

Other needs:

Gift cards for grocery stores (Big Y, Stop & Shop) in smaller denominations ($10-$20-$25) for women to use to purchase groceries or for emergencies
Gift cards for department stores (Target, JCPenney, Sears, Babies R Us) for women/families moving into their own apartments and/or for personal needs
Cell phones! We always accept cell phones of any age or condition. Chargers and other accessories are not necessary.

Needs for Children’s Program:

Educational Toys – Specialized toys and books for the children geared towards the healing process
General toys – Very cool, noisy, and shiny toys for ages 0-3 and 4-8
Funds for summer camp vouchers for all the shelter children (June through August)
Writing and art supplies for individual counseling sessions and support groups
Educational Books (see listing below)
Double strollers

Book/Educational Material wish list:

The Courage to Heal, 20th anniversary edition

The Verbally Abusive Relationship

Black-eyed Susan: A Story of Hope for Children & Families

A Family that Fights

Dinosaur Divorce: A Guide for Changing Families

Something is Wrong At My House

Family Violence: My Parents Hurt Each Other!

Hear my Roar: A Story of Family Violence

A Terrible Thing Happened: A Story for Children who have Witnessed Violence or Trauma

When Mommy Got Hurt: A Story for Young Children About Domestic Violence

Love you Forever

The Paper Bag Princess

Mommy & Daddy are Fighting

A Safe Place

Clover's Secret

I Wish the Hitting Would Stop

I Want to Tell You Something. Te quiero contar algo (Workbook)

What Are You Feeling? ¿Qué sientes ahora? (Bilingual Flashcards)

Mejor Sola Que Mal Acompanada: For the Latina in an Abusive Relationship

The Depression Workbook

The PTSD Workbook

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 4th edition

Beyond Anxiety and Phobia by Edmund Bourne, 2001

Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life by Scott Spradlin, 2002

The Mindful Brain by Daniel Siegel

Collaborative Therapy with Multi-Stressed Families

Motivation Interviewing: Preparing People for Change

The Procrastination Workbook

Common Shock: Witnessing Violence Everyday, How We are Harmed, How We Can Heal

My Mother and I Are Growing Strong: Mi Mama y Yo nos Hacemos Fuertes

Follow Our Blog

2011-07-07T07:58:00.004-04:00

Learn about domestic violence. Keep up with news and happenings and join the discussion.

Safe Passage announces new Executive Director

2011-06-06T14:51:00.002-04:00

The board of directors of Safe Passage is thrilled to announce the appointment of Marianne Winters as our new Executive Director. Marianne brings a wide range of leadership, management, and organizational experience to her role as Safe Passage's Executive Director. She is widely respected, locally and state-wide, as a stalwart advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Winters served as Director of the Everywoman's Center at UMass at Amerst, Executive Director of the The Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts, and Director of Jane Doe, Inc. of Massachusetts. Since 2006, Winters has been the principal in a firm that consults for organizations with social justice missions.

Throughout its 34 year history, Safe Passage has worked consistently to bring attention to domestic violence and oppression and to help women and their children achieve freedom from abuse. All of Safe Passage programs are free, accessible and confidential. Services include shelter, peer-support, counseling, education, advocacy, legal support and community education. Safe Passage primarily serves women and children in Hampshire County. Safe Passage believes that empowerment is crucial to ending domestic violence and that through the empowerment of the individual, we can effectively work to change the whole of society.

"I am really excited that Marianne Winters has accepted the position of Executive Director of Safe Passage", said longtime Board member Yoko Kato. "She is the ideal person to continue to lead our tenured staff - all of whom are so committed the work of ending violence."

Gail Kielson, President of the Board of Safe Passage said, "As Safe Passage enters its 35th year of service to the community, we are excited to have Ms. Winters in the crucial position of leadership. She brings a unique sensitivity to the issues facing the domestic violence movement. She fully embraces the essential need to engage the community in understanding the roots of violence and oppression, and supporting the work of Safe Passage. Marianne is grounded in the philosophy of Safe Passage which provides women with the support and information that they need in order to make their own choices to keep themselves and their children safe and to rebuild their lives in the wake of domestic violence. We look forward to continued growth under the leadership of Marianne Winters."

Thank you!

2011-03-20T19:13:00.012-04:00

Thank you!

On Sunday, April 10, the Northampton's own Young@Heart Chorus performed a special concert to benefit the important work of Safe Passage and CISA. Joining the Chorus were local bands LuxDeluxe and Spouse.

The Young@Heart Chorus, whose members range in age from 72 to 89, is well-known and loved locally. The Chorus is also world-renowned, selling out large theaters across the US and the world. An inspirational documentary film about the chorus was released worldwide several years ago, bringing the Chorus to an even wider audience.

Over 1600 enthusiastic audience members joined us for this terrific concert. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this benefit--our audience, our sponsors, and most especially, the talented and generous performers!

Thank you to our major sponsors!

Florence Savings Bank

Lathrop Retirement Communities

Hot Chocolate Run 2010

2010-12-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

The seventh annual Hot Chocolate Run was a tremendous success. 5,000 runners and walkers helped us raise $135,000 for Safe Passage's programs! Please visit the Hot Chocolate Run website learn more. Thank you for your support!

Annual fact sheet on domestic violence in Massachusetts

2010-09-30T08:49:00.002-04:00

Safe Passage is part of a statewide network of organizations working against domestic violence and sexual assault. Safe Passage serves all of Hampshire County; other programs serve smaller, more densely populated regions in the state.

Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts coalition of domestic violence and sexual assault programs, recently released a fact sheet with current statistics and facts about domestic violence in Massachusetts. Although Safe Passage's services help hundreds of people every year, there is still much to be done. Please support us!

Our new mission statement

2010-09-22T10:17:00.007-04:00

This summer, Safe Passage's board and staff came together to create an updated mission statement for the organization. We are proud to share it with you!

Safe Passage Mission Statement
2010

Safe Passage is committed to ending domestic violence and oppression in women’s lives. All Safe Passage programs are free, accessible and confidential. Our comprehensive services include shelter, peer-support, counseling, education, advocacy, legal support and community education. We primarily serve women and children in Hampshire County.

Safe Passage provides women with the support and information that they need in order to make their own choices to keep themselves and their children safe and to rebuild their lives in the wake of domestic violence. We believe that empowerment is crucial to ending domestic violence and that through the empowerment of individuals, we can effectively work to change the whole of society.

We believe that:

Violence is learned.
Violence is a choice.
Violence is preventable.
Domestic violence is not about loss of control; it is about exerting control over another person.

While we recognize that domestic violence is primarily men’s violence against women, we believe that all people are entitled to safe and healthy relationships. Given this, we offer services to anyone who has experienced domestic violence, regardless of the person's gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Quilt raffle to benefit Safe Passage

2010-07-09T09:21:00.003-04:00

Marjie Cahn recently created and donated this gorgeous quilt to Safe Passage.

We hope you'll buy a raffle ticket (or five!) to support Safe Passage. Tickets are available at our office from Monday-Friday, 9-5, and at Happy Valley, 229 Main St., Northampton. Please stop by Happy Valley to see the quilt for yourself!

The quilt is approximately 36" x 48" inches.

Raffle tickets are $3 each, two for $5 or five for $10. Drawing will be held in the fall. Click here for another view of the quilt!

Thank you to Marjie Cahn and to the staff of Happy Valley for their support!

Thank you!

2010-03-15T10:43:00.019-04:00

On May 23, the Clarion Hotel hosted Stories of Strength: An Evening to Benefit Safe Passage. This event celebrated Safe Passage's 33 years of service in Hampshire County as well as the strength of survivors of domestic violence.

The event featured remarks by three women who are working to address domestic violence in Hampshire County and beyond. Lena Sclove, a senior at Amherst Regional High School, has spent the past two years leading writing groups that she developed for the women and children who live in Safe Passage’s shelter. In her speech, Lena spoke about the importance of giving a voice to those who have been silenced by society.

Yoko Kato, a Safe Passage board member, spoke about her personal experience with domestic violence. In 1992, Yoko’s daughter and grandson were murdered in Northampton by the child’s father. In her speech, Yoko exhibited strength and bravery as she shared her experiences and how they have galvanized her to raise awareness about domestic violence in Massachusetts and Japan.

Mary Lauby delivered the final speech of the evening. As Executive Director of Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts coalition against domestic violence and sexual assault, Mary works to represent organizations like Safe Passage at the state level. Mary shared some startling statistics about domestic violence in the Commonwealth, and connected the daily work of Safe Passage with the state and federal movements against domestic violence.

In addition to these inspiring speakers, the evening featured silent and live auctions of a wide variety of items, including artwork, gift certificates for restaurants and services, and concert tickets.

The event raised $17,000 for Safe Passage's programs, helping us to continue to respond to the hundreds of women and children who seek our services every year.

Thank you for your support!

_________________________________________________________________

Thanks to our generous sponsors!

Activist:
Citizens Bank

Advocates:
Claire Bateman/Running Fox Studio
Clarion Hotel & Conference Center
Gravity Switch
Lightlife Foods

Table Sponsors:
Integrity Development & Construction
United Bank
The Bank of Western MA, A Division of People's United
Small World Fund for Children

Supporters:
BMC HealthNet Plan
Florence Savings Bank
Freedom Credit Union
Mark Berens Animal Hospital
Northampton Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

Join Safe Passage's Mailing List

2008-05-10T12:13:00.008-04:00

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